Application of radioimmunoassay techniques in support of toxicologic investigations of aircraft accidents.

With the increased emphasis on establishing the presence or absence of drugs associated with aircraft accidents and the fact that fragmentation of tissue may be a problem in investigating these accidents, the need arises for a rapid, sensitive, and specific toxicologic means for detecting drugs that may be present in nanogram concentrations and when only extremely limited quantities of specimens are avialable for study. The use of radioimmunoassay (RIA) for the detection of drugs (e.g., amphetamines, barbiturates, opiates, and methaqualone) in selected aircraft accident cases is presented.